Abstract
It is widely accepted that trees strive to adapt to changes in site factors by regulating, for instance, the amount of needles in their canopy (Helmisaari in this book). It is rather difficult to obtain a reliable estimate of the amount of needles, and it is not possible to elucidate the causes of needle loss by monitoring only the amount of needles. Although growth is one of the best indicators of tree vitality, estimates of forest condition based on tree growth have been rather contradictory. However, there is a clear relationship between needle loss and the diameter growth of trees, irrespective of the causes of needle loss. According to the results of the Finnish National Forest Inventory, a needle loss of 40 % reduces tree growth by about 20 % (Nöjd 1989). Pretzsch (1996) has come to a similar conclusion in Germany. However, trees with a dense foliage but slight needle loss have also been reported to show a growth improvement.
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References
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Mielikäinen, K. (2000). Dependence of Tree Annual Diameter Growth on Weather Factors. In: Mälkönen, E. (eds) Forest Condition in a Changing Environment. Forestry Sciences, vol 65. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9373-1_25
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9373-1_25
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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